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Automobile Club d’Italia joins Euro NCAP

16th December 2010

Euro NCAP is glad to announce that Automobile Club d’Italia, better known as ACI, will formally become Euro NCAP’s twelfth member as of 1st January 2011.

With 1.1 million members, ACI is the largest association representing the interest of Italian car drivers at the national and international levels. Since its foundation in 1905, ACI has grown into an important network for motoring consumers in Italy. The organization actively disseminates and promotes road safety issues such as the risks of drink driving, active and passive safety devices, and road safety education. Enrico Gelpi, ACI’s President says: ‘By joining Euro NCAP, ACI will further strengthen its role as an important advocate for safer cars on Italian roads.’

Italy is the second largest European automotive market and has the highest rate of car ownership in Europe – 60 cars per 100 inhabitants, with around 36 million circulating cars. As a Euro NCAP member, ACI will sponsor the testing of at least one car model per year and contribute actively to the development of the program. Euro NCAP is composed of motoring, consumer and insurance organizations as well as seven European Governments. However, until now Italy was not directly represented in Euro NCAP.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, says: ‘With every new member that joins Euro NCAP, we build momentum and create new opportunities to raise awareness about safer cars. Italians love their cars and everything about cars. ACI’s membership will bring the Italian car buyers not only improvement in the availability of accurate and timely information about vehicle safety, but also more direct influence on future demands in terms of technology and fitment. We warmly welcome ACI and hope this new commitment will help further increase the safety culture in Italy.’

ACI is a Federation of 106 Provincial Automobile Clubs. It represents and protects the interests of Italian motoring, promoting its development by spreading a new mobility culture. Entrusted by the State with the running of some public services such as the Public Register of Motor vehicles, ACI has close to 1.1 million members and is affiliated to the FIA. www.aci.it